SC agrees to hear DJB plea on Hry 'reducing' water supply to Delhi

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on April 2 a plea filed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) alleging that Haryana has reduced by one-third the supply of water to the national capital, which has led to a grave water crisis here.

The DJB's petition, seeking a direction to the neighbouring state to release the full 450 cusec of water per day meant for the Wazirabad reservoir in Delhi, was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud by advocate Sumeet Pushkarna.

The apex court agreed to hear the matter on April 2.

The jal board has contended in its plea that Haryana was supplying Delhi only 330 cusecs of water per day as against 450 cusecs per day which was agreed upon between the state and the Union Territory.

In its plea filed through lawyer Alok Gupta, the DJB has claimed that while the population of Delhi has increased phenomenally over the years, there has not been a commensurate rise in the water supply.

It has claimed that due to the present curtailment in water supply to the Wazirabad reservoir, the plant is running at reduced capacity leading to "grave water crisis" in the city.

The DJB said the situation would "escalate" as the temperature rises with the onset of summer and the demand for drinking water shoots up.

It has sought directions from the apex court to the Haryana government to supply the full 450 cusec of water per day continuously and daily to the Wazirabad reservoir.

The Delhi High Court had also recently told the Haryana government that it has to stick to its 2014 direction specifying the amount of water to be released to Delhi every day.